Catalonia referendum: Who are the Catalans?

The Catalans live in the “Paisos Catalans”, or Catalan Countries, which include Valencia, the Balearic Islands, parts of the Spanish region of Aragon, Roussillon in southeastern France and Catalonia itself. The referendum is confined to Catalonia, an area in northeastern Spain, which has a population of 7.5 million people. The area accounts for 15 percent of…